Maddie's Dada

Maddie is in love with her dada.
Here are some of my favorite Brandon/Maddie things...

•As soon as she wakes up in the morning, she starts calling out, "Dada! DADA!" As soon as he comes in her room, she starts jumping up and down in her crib. Then, she quickly grabs her binkie and blankie and puts her arms up in the air for him to grab her out.

•She only gives kisses to her daddy; no one else gets a kiss from Maddie.

We are discovering more and more every day how much Maddie is like her dad. Here are a few character traits Maddie has inherited from Brandon:

•She doesn't eat very much for breakfast, but always has a big dinner. Brandon very rarely eats breakfast, but loves having a good dinner.

•If she could live outside, she would. She has an absolute meltdown when it's time to come inside. I have always said, if there were a bathroom and refrigerator in the garage, I would never see my husband again.

•She likes to eat spicy foods.

•She inspects things to figure out how they work.

•If you are irritating her, she gives you "the Brandon face".

I love my husband so much more now that he is my daughter's father. Here are some reasons why...

1. He is so sweet and gentle with her.

2. He is patient with her as she learns new things.

3. He gets down on her level and talks to her face to face.

4. They go on adventures to Home Depot and the car wash together.

5. He sings "Itsy Bitsy Spider" to her in the car.

6. He is very intuitive of her - he knows when she doesn't feel well, he knows when she's hungry, when its time for her nap, and he understands her babbling and pointing language the best.

7. He watches "The Jungle Book" over and over again and still marches around with her when the elephants come on.

8. He gets up with her in the middle of the night when she doesn't feel well or when she is teething, so I can sleep.

I knew Brandon was a diamond in the rough when I found him at Yucaipa High School when we were 16. What I didn't anticipate was how perfectly wonderful my life would be with him and our family.

Moments like this makes my heart smile and my world complete.

Spaghetti & Baking with Mom

Here are some pictures of Maddie eating spaghetti, because every kid has to have a picture making a mess of spaghetti! She sucks the sauce off the noodles and then eats them. Silly girl.

I made some cupcakes last night and had a little helper. She found the leftover batter on the mixer and had a great time tasting it.

Halloween!

Maddie got to spend Halloween with her California family this weekend - we had so much fun. Here's a fun picture of Maddie in Grandma Milloy's bathtub. Look at that face, she is never happier than when she is in the tub. We grew up next to the greatest pumpkin patch ever and I was so excited to take Maddie there. First, we went to the petting zoo. I wasn't sure how she would react to animals running around her, but I should have known my dare devil Maddie wouldn't be scared. She hugged all the goats around their necks. Silly girl.

I love this picture with the goat posing for the picture and Maddie as happy as she can be.

Maddie riding a goat. Some more petting zoo pictures, because I couldn't just pick one. I love them all!Grandma Eatough & Maddie!

Sno-Cone!This was a photo-op spot and it was perfect with all the hay bales and pumpkins. I love fall time!There was a giant "Hay Castle" for kids to climb on. Here is Maddie at the top.Me & MaddieMaddie and Daddy carving a pumpkin. Actually, Daddy carving and Maddie throwing rocks and leaves inside the pumpkin.This is Maddie right after she tasted pumpkin goop. Yuck.The two cutest insects I've ever seen! Maddie's cousin Jasmine was a very pretty ladybug.Grandma and the bee.Grandpa and the bee. She was becoming a tired, angry bee at this point.Maddie chewing on her wings.